The Lazarus Effect
by dragonscales00
Summary: AU. Under the Red Hood. JSU. a boy who lost his mother and life to a psychotic clown. A woman who lost her chance to be a mother by her intended's decision not to play by fate and her life to an accident. This new and small family only have each other left to rely on in a cruel world.
1. Resurrection

Talia al Ghul watched as the second adoptive son of Bruce Wayne viciously struggled against his restraints. Talia had just dipped him into the Lazarus Pit after having unburied him and taken his body back to Nanda Parbat. She had waited several months to be sure that no one, not even Bruce, had discovered that there was an empty grave at the Gotham Memorial Cemetery. When she had learned about the brutal death of Robin by her spy in Gotham, she knew that Bruce would have been devastated, but he would never dare cross that line. Talia almost had it in her right mind to confront Bruce for allowing psychopaths like the Joker live, even after he had murdered his own son. She had a plan though formulating inside her head. Perhaps it might be too late for Bruce to avenge Jason Todd's death, but Jason Todd has the option now to pursue his revenge.

As Talia watched Jason struggle against his chains, she knew she had to help him control his urges. Jason Todd's skills actually showed real talent in the making. With Bruce's tutelage, the street boy had turned into a promising warrior. With just the right push and the right training, Jason Todd could become the ultimate assassin for the League… but first her father must be convinced. Jason Todd was in the middle of an arena where they normally held executions or had trials on rogue members. Her father wanted to test Jason's skills by having him fight through two mountain lions.

Talia signaled to one of the followers to open the cages. As the cage doors opened, the chains holding down Jason were released and the boy stood there as the starved Lions circled around him. One of the Lions jumped behind Jason but with one hand, he snapped the lion's neck with one squeeze. Talia and Ras al Ghul were shocked to see such a display of power and strength. Jason and the second lion were wrestling on the floor when Jason grabbed the lion's jaw and snapped it open before twisting its head to the side and killing it.

Talia watched her father as he stared with interest at the resurrected boy. She knew he was formulating a plan in his head but what it was, she did not know. Jason was cautiously approached by two of Talia's followers and was re-chained. Once the final lock was in place, Jason's eyes watered up and he gave a cry of grief before he attempted to fight his way through the chains. Despite his strength in defeating the Lions, Jason wouldn't be able to break through the titanium chains. Ras gestured to his daughter to follow him and they exited the arena.

"I may have been a bit brash in accusing you, daughter, of choosing to bring this young man's life back. He may prove to be of use to us." said Ras as they both walked towards his study.

"I'm glad to hear of it father." said Talia.

"I do have some concerns however regarding the boy." said Ras as he sat down in his chair in front of the fireplace.

"Oh? What concerns father?" asked Talia as she waited behind her father. He was silent for a while before he said, "The boy needs a maternal hand to guide him."

"M-Maternal? Are you suggesting that I-"

"No daughter, not you. I have other plans that I can only entrust you to succeed in and I won't allow you to be distracted by playing mother to the boy." said Ras.

"Then who?" asked Talia, wondering how her father planned to actually use maternal guidance on the resurrected Jason Todd.

"Someone with a firm hand but gentle. Someone we can easily misguide and manipulate to make sure she obeys our commands." explained Ras.

"Are you suggesting one of our fighters?" asked Talia.

"No," said Ras sharply, "they are killers and I have trained them firsthand to transcend pitiful emotions and desires such as motherhood, something I expect you to do as well daughter."

Talia blushed at his statement, knowing that he had expected her to be above frivolous matters such as motherhood. Talia walked in front of her father and asked, "Well then who? Do you want me to grab just any woman off the streets."

"No, it has to be someone with honor and already experiences in battle: a soldier." said Ras as he opened a hidden panel on his armchair and pressed one of the buttons. The wall above the fireplace moved to the side to reveal three TV screens. Ras turned the TV screens on and Talia was greeted with the sight of the Justice League walking about in hallways and into rooms.

"Is… Is this their headquarters?" asked Talia as she watched heroes such as Star Girl, Wildcat, Firestorm, and Red Tornado walk around in a hallway.

"Yes," confirmed Ras, "it's amazing how you can easily disguise a spy as an engineer underneath these bloody fools."

"They've had one with them for two years before they expanded." said Talia.

"Which brings me to my next point," said Ras as he grabbed a remote and began to play a video, "this was just two months ago."

Talia watched on the screen to see the Green Lantern and Hawkgirl talking in a hallway. Talia watched in fascination as she overheard the Lantern reveal his time travel adventures with her beloved, Bruce. The knowledge of the future in Talia's mind is both a blessing and a curse. It's handy to know what comes, but you never what actions led to it. As Talia watched, Lantern revealed that he had met their son. Talia watched as happiness and hope flew through the ex-traitor's face until the Lantern continued with his explanation at how he was to remain with his current woman and that he had no intentions of getting back together with her. The look of pain and shock spread across Hawkgirl's face. Talia could actually relate to the heroine's feelings. After all, how many times has Bruce always rejected her? Ras clicked another button on the remote and said, "These next few clips show her progressively getting more and more distant with the rest of the League. She has shown signs of wanting to leave, the Lantern has given us the perfect candidate."

Talia watched through the clips carefully and said, "How do we convince her then? I have seen her before and she is no one that we can manipulate easily."

"No," agreed her father, "but she wants her son. I have already planned her death, my daughter, and I want you to bring her body back here. We will dip her body along with the boy in the Lazarus Pit."

"The both at the same time? Won't there be side effects?" asked Talia.

"The boy will share her blood and she will be more in tune with him mentally," said Ras.

"You've been planning on this for while, haven't you father? Taking the alien into our fold?" asked Talia. After all, Ras only knew about Jason two days ago.

"I have indeed, my daughter. She has proven to be capable of performing duties that can extend beyond human limits. It's just an added bonus that we can have her keep the boy in check." said Ras.

"Then how do you plan to kill her?" asked Talia.

"Quite easily my child. A burning chemical laboratory is the perfect place to set up the trap and have our hero." said Ras.

 **4 Months Later**

Shayera Hol choked on the smoke as she tried to lift the ceiling off of her. Shayera made another attempt to reach for her mace but it was just out of reach and Shayera was sure that a pipe had impaled her leg, prohibiting her from moving forward. She can't feel the pain now, but Shayera was sure that once she is in a hospital it will hurt like there was no tomorrow. Shayera had been helping Mari help the scientists escape when an explosion caught them. Mari was knocked unconscious and trapped under the wall, leaving Shayera conscious and trapped as well. John and Terrific were somewhere else in the building. John had been on two other missions before he was sent with this team, meaning his power ring was low on fuel, making Shayera hope that he will leave the building to be safe. Shayera tried to lift the ceiling but nothing and that was when she saw John burst through the flames. His light was flickering and Shayera worried that he might be trapped with them if he didn't act soon.

John used the little power he had left to lift the debris. Shayera watched and looked at her mace and she quickly called out, "JOHN! MY MACE!"

He didn't react and Shayera attempted to call out again when John grabbed Mari and left, using the last of his power to escape. Shayera was shocked but she was mostly hurting. Tears filled her vision and Shayera tried to ignore that John ignored her. Shayera made one last effort to reach for her mace when a loud explosion was heard above her and everything faded into black.

John flew out of the building as quickly as he can with the unconscious Mari. He pushed her onto Terrific's arms and quickly spun around to get Shayera. He had heard her in the building, calling out to him for her mace but he had no time to search for her mace and instead decided to get Mari out first before he got Shayera out. His light flickered however and he was soon left powerless.

"NO!" he cried out and attempted to run back into the building when a series of explosions happened. John backed away from the deadly kinetic energy and watched in horror as the building collapsed.

"SHAYERA!" he yelled. He was vaguely aware of Terrific holding him back as the fire continued to rage. It would be hours later when the fire was contained. Mari had already awakened, but John was unaware of it. He was currently attempting to remove all debris in an effort to reach Shayera.

"Don't be dead, you stubborn hawk," he muttered, "Rex. Think of Rex. We're supposed… supposed to be together."

As soon as John removed one final piece of debris, he saw her lifeless hand. His heart stopped beating. He reached out for her, removing the rest of the debris. She was… no, she can't be. John saw something shining close to her hand and to his horror saw her mace. That's why she yelled at him for it. She wasn't calling out to him to find her mace, just to help her reach it. Ringing entered his hearing as all other sounds began to blur and all John could see was the mace. It… it was his fault. She's dead because of him. She's dead. Because of him.

Talia al Ghul watched from a distance and almost pitied the Lantern, but she quickly ordered her team to move. They had two weeks to perform this perfectly and she needed to have all her tracks covered. It was only a week when a funeral was held for the fallen hero. It drew a crowd of mourners and sympathizers, surprisingly but Talia was focused on the location of the grave. It was in the Midway National Forest where the hero apparently spent most of her time. She could detect several placed cameras around the memorial and knew her beloved had a hand in it. Perhaps to stop anybody from grave robbing or vandalizing the memorial.

It was a beautiful memorial depicting the likeness of the fallen hero holding her mace and a shield in her hands, her arms held out as though she was stepping into battle. She wore a greek tunic and Talia narrowed her eyes as she recognized the Amazon's handiwork in it. Idiotic woman, a traditional shield-maiden's armor would have been better suited, after all most of the world knew that Hawkgirl was the type to smash first and ask later. A plaque was on the bottom of the pedestal that read "Shayera Hol: Unwavering Friend and Hero." Talia wanted to scoff. It was only after she died that the world had recognized her part in sparing the world. Bruce had told her the whole story and she had been the one to suggest in getting her back in the team to help the world show that the League had forgiven her and to help get most of the hate off of her. He didn't listen to her and instead a year had passed before the hawk was brought back in the fold.

The funeral passed but Talia waited until three days passed before she and her team began to dig around a mile away from the grave in order to avoid the cameras and get the body from underneath. Hours passed but they managed it and took the coffin. Talia opened it to show the body of the hero and her mace by her side. She ordered her team to seal the tunnel and they made their trip back home.

The flight back home was uneventful up until Talia went to deliver the news to her father. He was in the arena watching as Jason slaughtered enemies after enemies. Ras was enjoying it and turned to see his daughter behind him.

"He'll make an excellent assassin," proclaimed Ras, "I trust you have brought the next piece."

"Yes father, we have already set her body up in the chamber." said Talia.

"Excellent," said Ras and he gestured to his archers to sedate Jason. When that was done they tied Jason next to the dead hero and proceeded with the resurrection ritual. Talia watched as the two bodies were dipped and held under for a while until the chains began to shake. Talia watched as the resurrected hero emerged screaming while Jason merely surfaced with a surprised look on his face. Talia and a few others quickly contained the screaming hero while Jason merely crawled out of the pit. As Hawkgirl raged and fought against the chains that were holding her down, Talia noticed the look on Jason's face. He approached the screaming hero cautiously and looked at her in the eye. Hawkgirl calmed down and looked back at Jason. Talia felt a presence behind her and turned to see her father look at the interaction with interest.

Jason approached the restrained hero and quietly whispered, "Momma?"

"J'hari?" questioned the hero in her own language. Talia noticed that Jason now hold physical features to Hawkgirl, such as a more lean figure now and his hair turned from black to red. The two now sport a white streak in their hair, a side effect of the Lazarus Pit.

"Welcome back, Bazer'Razmik." said Ras. He approached the confused hero and said, "You have been chosen, along with your son, to help us spread peace in this world. To rid corruption and bring in a new age."

"What… How did we get here?" asked Hawkgirl, "My name is Shayera."

"Your old name," dismissed Ras, "Your new birth name is Bazer'Azmik. Your son's new name is Aikh'Tier."

"What do you want from us." asked Shayera.

"Your cooperation." was all Ras said as he led the League of Shadows away from the pit. Talia was left and watched as Jason untied his 'mother'.

"You're… not my mother." he said.

"And you're not my son… but we're… connected." said Shayera as she reached her hand out and placed it on her 'son's' cheek. He leaned into the hand and closed his eyes, loving the new feelings in him.

"You were both dipped into the Lazarus Pit and Jason here has inherited some qualities of you to make him half human." explained Talia.

"Jason? Jason who?" asked Shayera.

"Jason Todd." said Jason holding his new mother's hand to his cheek. It has been years since he had felt a mother's comfort.

"Jason," breathed Shayera, "I like it… why have we been dipped in the pit?"

"You both died." explained Talia, watching as shock spread across their faces, "What was the last thing you remembered?"

"Fire. The building… John… I died in the chemistry laboratory didn't I?" asked Shayera. Talia nodded in confirmation and looked to Jason.

"I remember pain… and laughing. A hideous laugh... The Joker." shivered Jason. Shayera furled her wing around him and brought him into a hug. It was something she never would have thought to do, but some buried instinct told her to comfort him now that they had a connection, a blood connection. Jason leaned into the hug and rested his head on her shoulders. The thirteen year old would be lying if he didn't say that he wasn't enjoying the hug. Shayera was feeling the same way. She had a son now. Someone to look after. A son that she'll fight to death for. Her chances for Rex were gone, but here she had a son now.

"Why did you resurrect us?" asked Shayera. Talia walked in front of the new family and said, "My father wishes to use you both as assassins."

"What if we refuse?" said Jason defiantly.

"Then my father will no doubt hunt down every single one that you love in effort to punish you. Why do you think he handpicked you, Hawkgirl?" said Talia. The anger washed over them like a blanket and Talia almost feared them if they hadn't reigned it in. Jason might be half-human regarding his strength now but Shayera was full alien and a military one at that. Who knows the type of training she had received.

"Picked me?" asked Shayera, an unnatural rage swelling within her, "how? Why me?"

"We needed someone to help us train Jason." explained Talia, going for the half-truth, "The circumstances revolving Jason's death was that he was attempting to rescue his birth mother. The Joker however had already killed her before he got there."

Shayera felt Jason shiver in her arms and held him tighter as Talia continued to explain, "When the Joker killed Jason, Jason was resurrected with his last instincts intact the same as you. You, Shayera, died with trying to fight to stay alive or die trying. Jason died defiant to the end. You both awoke with a need to fight but you are both connected now and you both have found something that each of you can fill that had been empty before."

Shayera and Jason both looked at each other and smiled a bit. It would be a little cheesy to be said between the two, but they both were now a small family. A strange one yes, but Shayera and Jason didn't care. Talia sensed the new bond forming between the two and said, "You two have been given a chance to change the world. Please don't waste it by pretending to be heroes."

Shayera was shocked at her words and asked, "What do you mean by 'pretending' al Ghul?"

Hey readers, like the new story? I hope you did. Leave reviews please so I know if it's a good story. I'm also in need of a poll. THere is another story I want to write but should I finish at least two stories before I start it?


	2. The Rogue

**The Rogue**

Batman investigated the claims of a new player calling himself 'Red Hood' with great vigor. This Red Hood was slaughtering gangs and thugs alike. It didn't matter what the crime was. If it was something petty like a simple purse snatching, the criminal would end up with a bullet to the head. Batman didn't worry about it at first, having to deal with Joker and the whole League but this Red Hood character was starting to encroach into Gotham when before he had kept to Bludhaven and Friedman City. Both cities were akin to Gotham regarding crime and corruption but ever since the Red Hood began to slaughter all criminals, the crime and corruption rate went down dramatically and both cities were 'clean'. It would seem that Red Hood was bored and was beginning to move into Gotham and Batman was not going to allow that to happen. Gotham is his city and he'll be damned if he allowed some rogue vigilante try to take the law into his own hands.

Bruce had sent Barbara a mission that required her to use all her technical and hacking skills in order to locate Red Hood. It had been a tricky favor to ask mainly because Barbara was still a little bitter over losing her legs to the Joker and now there was an impersonator that was taking the Joker's old name as his own. Bruce and his new sidekick, Tim Drake, went on patrol as they tried to find a lead regarding Red Hood. The slaughtering of the Marconi Family made headlines all around the nation. One of the largest drug empires in America was brought down to the ground overnight and it brought the media to Gotham and questions were made against Batman's methods as though he didn't do enough to help Gotham.

Bruce boiled with anger that a slaughter like this had happened under his nose. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop to patrol, he heard through the scanner of a hit gang attempting to rob the Merchant Bank. He made his way over to the building, calling on Robin to meet him there. Bruce will have to trust Barbara to get the information he needs on the location of Red Hood for now. Right now, Gotham needs him.

 _Crime Alley_

Jason watched as Bruce and his replacement glided over the rooftops and sneered. Unyielding anger rising within him and the temptation to search for crooks and slaughter them rose within him. He shook it off though, remembering his mother's words, " _Anger is fire and the more you unleash it, the more likely you are to get burned._ " Jason turned his attention back to his small apartment and decided that tonight, the crooks get to breathe easy for now. Bludhaven and Friedman City were not easy to cleanse, but in the end Jason managed to clear them up in no time. It allowed members of the League of Assassins to move in the vacated homes of the deceased gangs and establish a base of operations in each city. Now Bludhaven and Friedman City might have a chance to be respectable cities for once in their lifetimes. Gotham was next on the list and Jason had been putting it off for so long.

Almost Six years have passed since he last saw Bruce and Gotham. He had almost stormed up to Wayne Manor when he learned that the Joker was still alive. He couldn't believe Bruce allowed that psychopathic clown to roam free. He had always suspected that he was the least liked in the whole Wayne and Bat family, but still…

Jason walked his way back home, or home as much as he could make it. So long as Ras had his mother he didn't have a home. Jason made it back to birth mother's home and closed the door. He had earlier installed advance security and a little bit of alien technology that his mother had taught him how to build in an effort to hide better from Barbara's hacking skills.

Barbara had gotten dangerously better in her computer skills since her traumatic encounter with the Joker. She almost managed to break through his firewall numerous times but thanks to his mother's technical skills, he always managed to keep her at bay.

She had grown beautiful since the last time he saw her. Despite the obvious bitterness that she was trying to hide from the others, Jason always knew when she lied. She wasn't the best at it when it came to him and Jason knew she was still hurting on the inside. Jason laid back down in bed and decided to deal with Bruce tomorrow. Jason received a tip from one of the many underlings he got rid of that Bane was going to make a move on Wayne Industries. Jason smiled when he realized that it would happen in the daytime. Batman never worked in the daytime.

 **Next Day**

Bruce Wayne sat in a board meeting, trying not to show how exhausted he was. The bank robbers last night were skilled and bold. They weren't terrified of Batman and had quickly jumped at the chance to fight him. He a several large welts under his suit that screamed for rest but Bruce couldn't hold off this meeting for another time. There were many important decisions that had to be made today and Bruce had already stalled the meeting twice due to Batman's investigations.

Just as a decision was to be reached over the funding of the medical research division, armed men stormed the room. Bruce, shocked, stood up in an attempt to do something (or as much as he could without revealing to his board members that he was Batman) when the leader of the armed group pointed his automatic rifle at him and shouted, "Sit down!"

Bruce slowly sat down and glared at the group. The group had their weapons pointed at each member and based on how they carried themselves and how they held their weapons, Bruce knew that he was dealing with professionals and any effort to move will probably trigger them to start shooting. The leader turned to the large plasma screen tv that was opposite of where Bruce was sitting and he turned the tv on. He manually changed the channel until they were on Channel 7. Bruce wondered what was happening when the tv went static and the face of Bane showed up.

"Hello Senor Wayne." said Bane, "My colleagues and I have a proposition for you. In exchange for a around 700 million dollars, we will spare you and your personnel from death. I expect you to call when you are ready. I wouldn't be tempted to call the police or Batman, the whole building is rigged to explode and I have more men keeping your employees in check. You have limited time Mr. Wayne."

Bruce almost growled. With so many armed men storming into his building and holding his employees hostages, he can't do anything. He can't sneak away, not without tipping off the board members that he was the Batman. Lucius Fox gave him a discreet glance and they both hoped that either Nightwing or Robin will step in.

Jason stood across the street on top of the building to see inside Wayne Industries with his high-powered binoculars. He almost smirked to see Bruce in such a compromising position. One wrong move and the whole building will know he is Batman. Jason put the binoculars away and leapt down from the building, using the fire escape to break his fall periodically just like how Bruce taught him years ago. Jason almost sneered at those memories but decided that getting rid of Bane's men will help with the aggression. Jason stormed across and brought out his silencer and his kodachi and managed to miraculously get into the building. Bane only stationed three armed men on the ground floor. They were too focused on the hostages, which was their first mistake. He used the silencer on the two farthest ones and used his kodashi to slice open the third's throat open.

Jason quickly searched the pockets of the dying man and read through the list of instructions. Only the ground floor and two other floors were being held hostage, counting the boardroom. Jason quickly made his way to the elevator, going to the fifteenth floor. He had to move quickly if he was going to get the people out and not lose a life. Despite all his training with Ras al Ghul, Jason never accepted casualties.

The elevator doors opened and Jason immediately scoped out that four were in the floor. He again used the silencer on two of the armed men while he used the kodachi to slice open the throat of the third man and kicked the fourth one down, his clumsy steps forcing him to the window. Jason kicked the man again and the fourth flew out the window, screaming.

"Team Beta, answer me!" said a voice through a discarded walkie talkie. Jason walked over to it to see that it had fallen off one of Bane's men.

"Answer me! What is going on?" demanded the voice.

"Shit." cursed Jason as he realized that they are now suspicious.

Jason ran to the elevator, ignoring the murmurs of the hostages and made his way to the elevator again. Just one more floor and he will be done. He will finally show Bruce what kind of crimefighter he was… even if Bruce doesn't know it's really Jason Todd beneath the Hood.

The elevator doors opened and Jason was met with the sight of Bane's men pointing their guns at each of the board members, with the leader pointing his own at Bruce Wayne's head. Jason tilted his head to the side in curiosity and taunted with his voice modulator on, "What's wrong boys? Hood got your tongue?"

"You'll regret ever crossing with Bane." said the leader.  
"Oh trust me, I want to cross him. See my kodashi? This is specifically designed for crissing and crossing across bodies." said Jason.

"One wrong move scum and the whole board will be obliterated." threatened the leader.  
"Oh yeah?" asked Jason. In a blink of an eye, Jason threw shurikens from his hidden pocket, taking out all of the men except for the leader who was incapacitated. The shuriken was dug into his shoulder and he was screaming. The board members all fled the room, all but Bruce. Jason couldn't wait to see how he will react.  
"What's your boss's mission?" questioned Jason.

"I… I don't know." whimpered the man.  
"Wrong answer." said Jason as he stepped on the shuriken, digging it deeper into the man's shoulder. He screamed in pain and cried out, "I DON'T KNOW! HE ONLY TOLD US TO KEEP THE PEOPLE HOSTAGE UNTIL HE GETS THE MONEY!"

"Too bad then." said Jason as he grabbed the man by his collar and dragged him to the window.  
"NO! WAIT! WAIT!" cried out the man but Jason ignored him. He slammed him against the window repeatedly until it broke and dangled the man outside.

Bruce was amazed at the amount of power that was being exhibited by the Red Hood. He was dangling the man with only one hand and didn't seem like he was exhibiting any stress. Bruce could only suspect that Red Hood might perhaps be a metahuman but without his equipment and without risking revealing himself as Batman, Bruce could only cry out, "Stop it! That's enough!"

The blank visor of the Red Hood stared at him before he released his hand, the hired thug screaming as he fell to his death. Bruce stared in disbelief at the audacity and the uncaring nature of the Red Hood. He watched as Red Hood calmly walked to the elevators and left Bruce by himself.

Jason would later relax in his apartment, watching the news as the reporters interviewed witnesses who would describe the Red Hood as either a hero or a nutjob. Jason really had no qualms over what they said about him. Hopefully this news will appease Ras.

Jason turned the TV off when the phone began to ring. He felt his heart race as he moved to answer it. Picking it up, he placed the receiver on his ear and answered, "Hello?"

" _J'hari_ ," came the voice of his mother on the line, speaking in her native language.

"Mom." he said, paying extra close attention to the call.

"How are you?" she asked.  
"I'm good. I'm… I'm using everything like you taught me. I'm good. How.. How did you get my phone number? Did he let you go?" asked Jason.

"No, this is Talia's doing. I only have a few minutes to speak with you. Jason, please don't do anything rash for my sake. You're still young and you still have so much to offer this world." said his mother.

"I already lost one mother. I'm not losing you either." said Jason, eyes burning with unshed tears, "If cleaning up Gotham is what I need to do, then I will."

"Jason, please," pleaded his mother, "I know you still have anger stored for Bruce but-"  
"-This isn't about Bruce," said Jason, "This is about keeping my only family left safe. Bruce and the others never gave a damn about me. They were never family."

The words he spoke drove a nail to his heart. It hurt to look back on those memories to see that they never cared about him at all. The Joker is still loose and he was replaced very quickly by the new Robin. Jason shook his head from those feelings and focused on his mother.

"Jason please," she pleaded again, "I don't want to lose you. You're my only son."

"You won't," he promised, "You always protected me ma. Now it's my turn to protect you."

"Jason," he heard her say, "Please don't lose yourself in the missions. It's what he wants you to do and to become."

"I won't ma." he promised.

"I have to go, Jason," said his mother, "Remember Jason, I love you very much."

"I love you too ma." said Jason, gripping the phone tighter. The call ended and Jason was left standing in the living room, relieved that his mother was ok and thanked for the small mercy Talia had for the mother and son. Jason sighed and laid down on the couch, once again hoping that the news will reach Ras to show him that he was fulfilling his duties and to let his mother go.

 **Hey readers, like or dislike? More Shayera and Jason in the next chapter, this time with a certain Batgirl stumbling into the conspiracy.**


	3. Six Years Ago

**Six Years Ago**

Shayera continued to hug Jason as Talia continued to stand guard over them. The new maternal feelings have surprised Shayera who was completely unaware of the intensity that comes with motherhood. It felt right to hold him close to her, to keep him protected. Shayera wrapped her wings a little tighter to give Jason more warmth and she felt him cuddle a little in her arms. Jason didn't feel embarrassed at all to cuddle up against his new mother. He felt a small pang of guilt when he thought of his birth mother. He loved her but there wasn't a real connection between them. She was a drug addict and he was the troubled son, but they both still loved each other but not enough that they were almost strangers in their household. With Shayera, he was beside her during her resurrection and a bond had been formed between them that transcended a simple mother-son relationship. He could feel her soul and he was sure that she can feel his. Whatever the pit had done to them, it seemed that the new bond is the only positive outcome to have been given them.

Jason held onto his new mother tighter, not wanting to be separated from her. Perhaps when they make their escape, he'll ask Bruce to help hide her. He knew that she is Hawkgirl of the Justice League, but much of what he remembered was fuzzy. The only real clear memories Jason had left of his old life was his time as Robin, the rare and close moments he had with Bruce… and his final moments when the Joker had tortured him and killed him. Feeling his anxiety, Shayera wrapped her wings tighter around Jason but continued to look at Talia for her explanation.

"Oh come now, Hawkgirl," said Talia, a little exasperated at the stubborn look on the other woman's face, "Saving lives but not taking action to make sure that the incident never happens again? Even you, the soldier, should see the faulty logic in it."

"It's not about what can be done but what is right." argued Shayera. Talia instead rolled her eyes and said, "Oh really? If it is all about doing what is right, then the right thing to do was to put the Joker down instead of putting him back in his prison cell after he had murdered Jason Todd."

"What?" whispered Jason. Bruce wouldn't… he wouldn't let that thing live... not after killing him… right? Jason looked at Talia and asked again, "What?"

"Instead of ridding the world of evil, Bruce has insured that the clown gets to escape death by putting him back in the joke-of-a-prison Arkham." explained Talia. Her anger burned again at how irresponsible her beloved had acted. If the Joker was taken care of, then many of the Joker's horrors could have been avoided. Instead, half of Gotham was poisoned by his laughing gas and many lost their lives, the Police Commissioner's daughter lost the use of her legs, Bruce's latest Robin had almost lost his sanity, and who knows how many more horrors will be brought because Bruce's almighty 'moral code'?

"He wouldn't… I-I knew he didn't like me as much but… He wouldn't! screamed Jason, tears of hurt falling down his face as he thought of his adopted father. Jason would have avenged Bruce's death if it was Bruce who had been killed by the Joker. The one time Jason thought that Bruce would have made an exception to his moral code... Jason had always felt a little self-conscious about his placement in the Bat-Family. He and Dick never got along, Dick seeing Jason as a weak replacement while Barbara's first words to him were "You'll never be Dick Grayson". Jason had always looked up to the two sidekicks of Batman and to hear those words and to be shunned had been a huge disappointment. Bruce's encouragement however had given him hope and he drove himself past his own limit to make Bruce proud to call him a Robin. To hear that Bruce allowed the Joker to live… after everything that has happened. Jason felt a surge of rage and began to visibly shake in rage and sorrow for the man he thought was his father.

She quickly released Jason from his confinement to see him fly into a rage into the room. Many of the furniture that was used to prep tools for the Lazarus Pit crumpled under the power of Jason's rage. The wood splintered with every hit he aimed and broken pieces flew all around the room. Talia and Shayera watched in a mixture of fascination and shock at the display of power Jason was exhibiting. Shayera figured it had to do his new half-Thanagarian DNA within him. As he continued to smash objects left and right, Shayera approached him from behind silently and grabbed him in a bear hug, using her wings as extra restraints. Jason struggled to be set free and slammed his head into Shayera's face, causing her to grunt in pain as blood began to trickle down. Looking behind him, Jason was horrified to see his mother's face have blood spread around.

Jason stopped struggling and gently turned around to hug his mother. He began to whimper in shame and cried, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, _j'hari_." said Shayera.

"What is jay harry?" asked Jason.

" _J'hari_ ," corrected Shayera, "It's Thanagarian for 'beloved son'."

Moved, Jason hugged his mother tighter and said, "Thank you."

"Well now that things have calmed down, how about we get back to business at hand?" said Talia, knowing her father was expecting them soon.

"Why does your father expect my instant cooperation Talia? It's unlikely that I will ever follow his orders if he ever asked me to go against the League." said Shayera.

"He doesn't care about the League for the moment. There are dangerous enemies right now in this world that require your skills. We needed you to be with us in this cleansing without having the League hold you back." explained Talia.

"What enemies?" asked Shayera.

"Ex-members of the League of Shadows. They have gone rogue and are now spreading their evil into the world that is causing a good amount of suffering that needs to end." said Talia.

"So your father wanted me to be an assassin? Why not send his own assassins then? You have a _league_ of them." argued Shayera.

"We do, but the rogues are very familiar with the assassins we have so they know how to avoid them," explained Talia, "which is why my father wanted you to become one of us."

"Why me? Of all the people in the League, why me?" asked Shayera, feeling shocked at the revelation.

"Because of all the people in the League, Shayera, you are the only one who understands the sacrifice needed for the greater good. I'm not talking about cutting out private lives for the sake of one mission or relinquishing fortunes to fund a cause. I'm talking about the sacrifice of your soul for the benefit of the greater good. You, Shayera Hol, might be the most overlooked asset of the Justice League and they only ever focused on your past mistakes to realize it." said Talia. Shayera was silent throughout her explanation, shocked that somebody was able to see her for her and not just a traitor.

"Who are the rogues?" asked Shayera.

"Damien Darhk, Malcolm Merlyn, Lady Shiva, and a failed experiment of my father's called Heretic." said Talia. Shayera stayed quiet as she thought over her Talia's request. This was her chance to maybe bring some balance to the world she has chosen over her own world. Maybe she can stop feeling so guilty all the time. Jason, feeling his mother's thought process asked, "What if I don't want to be a part of this?"

"Jason," said Talia, her eyes softening when she looked at the boy, "the reason why I have brought you back to life was so you can instill your own justice on the man who has taken your life. It is obvious that my beloved will never avenge you by getting rid of that clown, so I'm giving the option to you."

Jason was shocked at Talia's response, as was Shayera. Shayera tightened her hug around Jason a little more at the thought of him going solo against the Joker. Jason though turned to his mother and looked for approval. Shayera could see in his face that he needed this. He needed closure. Shayera sighed but nodded her head in consent as she said, "If you're doing this, I need to be there. I won't let you go alone."

Jason hugged Shayera and Shayera looked at Talia and said, "I'll do it, but I will only go after the main targets. I won't do any unnecessary killings."

"That's all we ask of you." said Talia, "Follow me you two, I'll lead you to your new quarters and tomorrow we can begin training."

 _The Next Day_

Shayera awoke with a startle gasp, her dreams a mixture of bright colors mixed with blood red. She had dreamt that she couldn't breathe, that she was still back at the chemistry plant. Watching John leave her behind again broke her heart even more than was bearable. Shayera sighed and got up, deciding to begin her day and learn from the Assassins. Shayera had a long way to go to be on the same level of stealth and deadliness as Darhk, Merlyn, Shiva, and Heretic. Shayera had no idea what was in store for her, but she was grateful that she will be allowed to train Jason herself in preparation of his eventual fight against the Joker. It actually worried Shayera that she was going along with his desire for vengeance. She hopes that somewhere along the line she might be able to curb Jason's desire of vengeance to something else.

Shayera walked into the arena where she was greeted with the sight of Ras and Talia overseeing Jason's skills as he skillfully defeated all the assassins that were up against him. Shayera was actually almost intimidated by this display. What can she offer to teach him that he doesn't already know? Shayera walked next to Talia who turned and said, "You and Jason will have time later, come with me. I need to catch you up on all the intel you will need to be stronger than the rogues."

Shayera glanced back at Jason but followed Talia to a separate room where she spent the next ten hours learning the history of her targets and their operations. Shayera groggily left the room to meet with Jason in the mess hall. She was amused to see him shoving food into his mouth with gusto, as though he had a bottomless pit for a stomach. She sat down next to him and grabbed a plate to eat before Jason ate through everything.

Jason glanced at Shayera and slowed down his eating so he can be able to say, "I remember you now."

Blinking in surprise, Shayera turned to Jason with a questioning gaze as he continued, "I always told Bruce that I wanted to meet you. Your fighting style is still my favorite. I don't care what the world says about you, I'm proud that you're my new mother."

Shayera felt tears spike up in her eyes but she didn't care as she hugged Jason and said to him, "I'm honored to be your mother. I feel that destiny has somehow led me here, to be with you."

The mother and son spent the whole night getting to know each other. Shayera and Jason had surprisingly many shared hobbies, likes, dislikes, and habits that were natural to them without the help of the Lazarus Pit. Talia and Ras kept spies on them the whole night, making sure that the duo never tried to escape. Their worries were unfounded however, as Jason proved to be a skilled fighter and student while Shayera quickly learned the ways of the League of Shadows. Ras was pleased with her process, taking personal interest in teaching her skills and techniques that will come in handy when she will go up against the rogues. Shayera also taught Jason many brutal fighting styles, some of which that Shayera has used to win against Batman during their sparring matches when things weren't so complicated.

As the months passed by, Shayera and Jason grew closer as their mother/son bond grew even more. Jason smiled more often when he was sent on recon missions, some of the spirit that he had as Robin coming back to him. Shayera found new purpose in her new life, determined to rid the world of the rogue evil that has been growing right under the Justice League's noses. She took personal, childish pleasure in knowing that she will be doing something that the Justice League is incapable of doing themselves: getting rid of evil permanently.

As the first year passed, Shayera grew into a deadly assassin as Jason became Ras's star pupil, who began to teach Jason his own personal skills and tricks. Shayera and Jason though would have their first test as Assassins when Malcolm Merlyn made the bold move to attempt to overthrow Ras's leadership in the League of Shadows.

 ** _Hey readers, like or dislike? Review if you'd like the next chapter to be more Jason and Shayera bonding time or back to the present where Batman has the League help him try to catch Red Hood._**


	4. The Power Play

**The Power Play**

Bruce suited up in his Batman suit before he called in Mr. Terrific to zeta-beam himself up to the Watchtower. This Red Hood was becoming an issue and he needed to put an end to it now. He loathed to admit it, but this type of new rival was starting to undo all the hard work Bruce had put into cleaning up Gotham. Criminals no longer feared Batman because they were now more afraid of Red Hood. The coined term given to Batman "The Dark Knight" didn't fit him anymore because the Red Hood brought real and terrible fear in the criminal world. Bruce gritted his teeth in frustration everytime he thought of the many encounters he had with the Red Hood after that fateful day in Wayne Industries. Bruce had studied the surveillance footage of the Red Hood from Wayne Industries and determined that Red Hood's fighting style was a more brutal and violent technique of martial arts with a little bit of something else, something he can't quite identify.

Bruce made his way to the Founder's Conference Room, where all other five members were waiting for him. His eyes drifted briefly over to where Shayera's chair was, her symbol emblazed on it in honor of her memory. John always sat next to it, as though to comfort himself by being next to it. His guilt had finally gone away after five years so he was always content to just sit next to the empty chair.

"Batman," addressed Superman, "What's the problem?"

"The problem is that I'm dealing with a possible Meta that has been trying to make his mark in Gotham." said Batman as he reached inside a drawer and took out a tablet. Turning it on, the wall behind the table slid open to reveal a large television screen hidden behind it. Batman took out a USB drive and plugged it in with the tablet. The TV turned on to show the many files and information Batman had gathered on the Red Hood. Superman looked at the photos to see that this new rogue is even more high-tech than Batman. Where Batman is comfortable with his utility belt for his gadgets, the Red Hood has pockets all over that Superman is sure is filled with his own tech. J'onn though wasn't paying attention to the computer. Instead he was scanning Bruce's mind to sense the slight desperation behind the calm exterior. This Red Hood man has been creating a feeling of worthlessness in Batman that J'onn has never seen in Bruce.

"What is his agenda? If he was making an effort to fight crime then shouldn't he have tried to cooperate with you?" asked Diana.

"That's the issue," said Batman, "He doesn't agree with my methods. I have always held the belief that even petty criminals deserve a second chance but Red Hood is eliminating them with no remorse. Petty thefts, like purse-snatchers, are found with a bullet to the head in alleys. The Marconi Family is all but non-existent, every single one of the members slaughtered like cows."

The image that Batman brought up made everybody want to throw up their lunch. It was horrific and very bloody. Superman clenched his hands at the thought of somebody capable of slaughtering anybody in this method. No matter what the crime, killing in cold blood was never the answer. John had thought that with all his space missions for the Green Lanterns, he had seen his fair share of horrors. This though went beyond it, having never seen such atrocities committed like this. Flash just refused to look at the screen after seeing the photo for one nano-second. Diana was angered and wanted to bring the rogue in to answer questions.

"How do you propose we catch him?" asked Superman.

"I only need you to help me patrol Gotham," said Batman, "if anyone of you has got a lead don't hesitate to apprehend him. This needs to end now."

As the founders left, John remained behind to rub the tired out of his eyes and to relax before joining Batman on an all-night patrol in Gotham. It was almost surreal to be in Gotham for a full night, as Batman absolutely despises having anyone other than him or his team in the city. The Red Hood must really be grating on Batman's mind to have Bruce call in the League to actually call in the League for help.

John leaned back in his seat and looked to the left. His heart did a little skip as he looked at Shayera's emblazoned symbol on the chair. It was a unanimous decision from the others that Shayera be memorialized in the Founder's Conference Room. Aside from her memorial headstone in Midway, John also wanted one to be in the Watchtower so nobody will ever forget the sacrifices she had made for Earth. As John left to follow the others, he glanced back one last time at the empty chair and felt a little sting pass in his heart. He was getting used to it every day and his guilt was slowly ebbing away as well. It took a while to not allow his guilt over Shayera's death haunt him, but he always found it to be creeping back before he stopped thinking about it. Mari had also been affected by Shayera's death. Her survivor's guilt had almost driven the model into a deep depression until J'onn forced her to go through several sessions of therapy. There wasn't much Mari could have done anyways to save Shayera but Mari had often believed that if she hadn't been knocked out, then John wouldn't have made such a rushed decision and Shayera would be alive.

 _ **Jason**_

Jason swung through the buildings as he chased down a black town car with ease, his grappling hook releasing its hold and retracting back into the gun. Jason quickly shot it out again and swung in between another pair of buildings in order to cut off a contact of Black Mask. Jason needed to know when the next shipment of Mask's cocaine was to be brought in and Jason planned to be there to destroy it. As the car swerved into an alley in an attempt to avoid the Red Hood, Jason smirked as he knew that the idiot had driven into a dead end. Jason retracted the hook and shot it out again in order to use it again so he can swing on top of the vehicle. When the crook screeched to a halt to avoid becoming a stain on the wall, Jason landed on top with enough force to bend the roof out of shape and frighten the man out of the vehicle.

Jason clicked the voice modulator on and began to talk with the contact, "What's going on? You didn't stay long for me to catch your name."

"S-S-Stay b-ba-back!" wheezed the contact, his fear of the Red Hood overriding his senses. He had heard stories about the Red Hood. From dismembered limbs to a bullet to the head, the Red Hood never left his victims unscathed. The man felt his pants warm up and looked to see that in his fear, he couldn't control himself. The Red Hood laughed at him and the man just wanted death to be upon him.

He may have wished too soon as Red Hood suddenly held a blade to his throat and he asked angrily, "The shipments, bed-wetter! When is the next one coming?"

"T-T-Tuesday," whimpered the man, hoping that honesty would grant him a light sentence. It wasn't worth keeping secrets for Black Mask, who had promised him protection, " _The_ … _Great H-Har-Harriet_ is coming to port on T-T-Tuesday."

"Good for you," said Red Hood, "Now, doesn't it feel nice to get those secrets out in the open?"

The man had no time to respond as his throat was slashed open, blood spilling out like a fountain. Jason watched with no emotion as the man slumped forward and fell to the floor. With his new information, Jason turned to leave until his sensors alerted him to Bruce's movements. He scoffed at his former mentor's attempt to catch and grappled out of the alley, intending to call it a night. As he reached the roof, he was met with the sight of the Green Lantern pointing his ring at him.

"Freeze." ordered the Lantern. Jason though was prepared for this. He knew Bruce would eventually cave and call in the metas for help. Jason was actually disappointed that Bruce had caved in so easily. It's no wonder Gotham has gone to crap recently. Jason took out a discombobulator and threw it up in the air above the Lantern. The lights and sound that emitted from the small orb caused the Lantern to lose his focus, his control over the ring lost. Jason quickly ran past the Lantern, his Red Hood helmet allowing Jason to not be affected by the discombobulator. Glancing back though, Jason knew of his mother's involvement with the Lantern and what he had done to her before she had died. Jason felt the familiar rage swell within him and turned back to kick the Lantern viciously in the ribs, taking deep satisfaction in hearing several ribs crack.

As Jason hopped onto the next building a lasso attempted to apprehend him, preventing him from moving forward. Jason quickly managed to somersault out of the lasso's reach and turned to see Wonder Woman and the Martian flying above him. Jason had to sneer at their attempts of intimidation and was suddenly enraged when he felt a mental probe in his mind. Shoving the probe out, he watched as the Martian flinched slightly at the force and said, "Don't try pushing it Green guy, mental rape is still considered rape."

The Martian's eyes widened at Jason's words but otherwise remained silent as Wonder Woman demanded, "Where is Lantern?"

"A little tipsy over yonder, lady. Word of advice? If you're going to take the shot, then take it." said Jason as he brought out a magnet. It was a specially made magnet that he and his mother worked on just for the Amazon. While her gauntlets held magical properties, the magnet was polarized by the Nth metal of his mother's mace. It was a sacrifice on her part to demolish her beloved weapon but she got around just fine with her new spear that had been made of the leftover metal of her old mace and Jason's kodachi was made from the Nth metal as well. As Jason threw the magnet, Wonder Woman felt her gauntlets immediately get snapped to it, and she fell forward as the magnet pulled her to the ground. She struggled to lift herself up but she was trapped on the ground, unable to free herself. Jason decided to further add insult to injury by pistol-whipping her across the face with enough force to knock her out (an added bonus strength through his half-Thanagarian bloodline).

The Martian tried to help Wonder Woman, but Jason threw a cubed object at him in the sky. The cube immediately opened up and the Martian was trapped inside a red cage. As the Martian tried to phase out, the red cage began to heat up. The Martian groaned in pain and confusion as the heat began to weaken him. Jason almost laughed at his previous worries about how the Martian was going to be the toughest opponent that he had to face.

Jason chuckled as he leapt away from the Amazon and the Martian, feeling more confident as he continued his escape. With three down, that meant there might be three more to deal with counting Bruce. As Jason was about to leap onto another roof, he felt hands grip his side and he was suddenly transported to an alley. Realizing that the Flash had a hand in this, Jason quickly threw two sensor grenades on either side of the alley to cover his tracks. If it was the Flash, then the bioadhesive that will explode out of the sensors will completely immobile the scarlet speedster. Jason only had to hold still and be ready in case the sensors don't work. His worries though we're for naught as he heard the electric sound of the Flash rush at him from behind. The sensors went off and Jason only heard the surprise exclamation of Flash and turned to see the speedster stuck on the ground with blue adhesive holding him down from the waist down. Laughing silently, Jason quickly ran around the immobile hero and made his way into the busy street. He didn't need to do anything the Flash otherwise his mother will kill him for doing anything damaging to the Flash.

Jumping on top of a semi-truck, Jason quickly surveyed the skies to watch for the final two: Bruce and Superman. As the truck exited the city and crossed over the Mercy Bridge, Jason's helmet immediately flashed red to warn him of an approaching figure. Turning around, Jason barely had time to register Superman's colors before he was grabbed and lifted high up in the air.

Jason quickly began to feign struggling out of Superman's steel grip, allowing the Man of Steel to feel confident.

"Your vigilante activities end here," ordered Superman, "if you really care about the people, you will turn yourself in."

"I'll do it the day Clark Kent decides to reveal his secret." taunted Jason. Shock spread across Superman's face, giving Jason enough time to reach into his pocket and fish out a small orb of Kryptonite. The effects were instantaneous as Superman weakened at the exposure and began to lose control over himself. Jason quickly fished his grappling gun out and grabbed onto Superman's collar as he swung them safely to the bridge. As he landed on the railing, he was met with a glaring Batman.

"'Sup Bats? Decided to bring in your posse this time? Gotta say, I'm really disappointed in you. I thought for sure you would last a few more weeks before you caved."

"Unhand Superman and turn yourself in now before you make this worse for yourself." ordered Batman. If it had been anyone else, Jason would have gutted the person for thinking that they could order him around. Seeing as how it was Bruce, Jason decided to irk the old man some more.

"Sure, I'll turn myself if you hang up your cape and cowl, _Wayne_." sneered Jason as he took satisfaction in watching the shock go through Bruce's eyes. Jason let go of Superman and the Man of Steel fell over the edge, the kryptonite still tucked inside his uniform and rendering him helpless. Batman didn't hesitate as he leapt over the bridge to save his best friend. Using his own grappling hook, Batman swung himself and Superman to safety on the bottom of the bridge where the maintenance site was held to repair damages to the bridge. Batman glared up at the bridge one final time to see Red Hood leaning over the edge, watching him, before he left.

" _Bruce_?" came the voice of Barbara through his separate com-link.

"What is it?" he asked as he carefully removed the kryptonite out of Superman's uniform and placed it inside a lead-enforced container in his belt.

" _How does he know you_?" asked Barbara, feeling a little vulnerable herself. If Red Hood knew who Batman was, then it is safe to assume that he knows who Oracle, Nightwing, and Robin are.

"I don't know," said Batman, loathed to admit it, "but as of now, Robin is to be kept off the streets and tell Nightwing to be on his toes. This is now a high-security risk that requires extreme caution."

"He knew me." croaked Superman, regaining his strength.  
"What?" asked Batman, shocked at what was being revealed.  
"He knows who Clark Kent is." said Superman. Heart racing, Bruce realized that he is dealing with a whole new adversary who isn't afraid to unleash his rage and who might be keeping tabs on them daily.

As Batman and Superman left to help out their fallen teammates, Jason had safely reached the sewers where a stashed construction worker's uniform was hidden and changed into it. As he walked along the path with his Red Hood uniform in bag, he re-joined with the other 'construction workers' and notified them that the 'gas leak' was taken care of and that they could leave. To the city, construction workers left the sewers once the job was dealt with unaware that the workers were really League of Shadows spies that Jason had emergency dialed to create an alibi in case a certain hot and genius redhead was spying through the city cameras. It will not do well for him to have Barbara have footage of a lone young man leave the sewers with a suspicious duffle bag after all.

 _ **Bruce**_

"He knows how to stop us! How?" questioned Flash as he paced in the room. The others remained sitting down around the Founder's Table but Flash was nervous, so he needed to walk off some of it. The others carefully tried to find a way to explain it, but couldn't come up with any possible explanation.

"It's obvious that he has been keeping tabs on us, but the question is how? Does he have a network to work off of? Does he have spies? Can he read minds?" asked John, gripping the armrest on his chair to stop another migraine from flowing through. The discombobulator had done a real number on him and he swears that he can still see some of the flashing lights. He winced as he took a deep breath, his sides bandaged to help his healing cracked ribs.

"He is capable of blocking me." admitted J'onn. The others looked at him to elaborate and he said, "He was able to push me out of his head. I haven't seen resistance like that since…"

Trailing off, he looked at Shayera's empty chair and John felt his heart clench. Diana though looked at the empty chair with a worried expression, ignoring the pain over her bruised cheek, and said, "Do you believe it to be another Thanagarian?"

"No," said J'onn, "Thanagarians are capable of blocking me out completely with no effort. Whoever this is, I am able to infiltrate very little but not at all at the same time."

"What did you catch in his head?" asked Flash.  
"Pain. Deep in his heart, a rage that had almost consumed him, but at the same time… he took great joy in his actions. As though it was revenge being fulfilled." explained J'onn. Batman narrowed his eyes at this information. Revenge? Looking back, who had Batman wronged that would take effort in not only de-stabilizing Batman's control over the city but to also take the time to anticipate the League's involvement. If Batman had to be honest, he would have actually done the same thing if he was looking for revenge. He needed to know more though to continue his investigations.

"He knew who Superman and Batman are though," said Flash, "Which means that he might know who I am too."

"I wouldn't worry about it," said Batman, "Of us all, you were the one who had taken the least amount of damage. He could have broken your legs or done something similar to it in order to render you useless or would have revealed that he knew your identity. He didn't. All he did was immobile and left you alone."

"So what? Guy's a big fan of me then?" asked Flash, the whole situation getting stranger and stranger.

"I don't know," admitted Batman, "I'm going to need more information to get a lead on."

"Whatever the case may be currently," said Superman, "this is now a League Priority and we need all hands on deck to figure out who he is and what he wants. It's obvious now that he didn't chose Gotham by random and that he decided to call himself a 'hero'."

"This is one power play that's going to get nasty." said John, groaning a little at the pain.

 _ **Jason**_

"I need you to meet me at the docks on Tuesday night to hijack a ship called "The Great Harriett". It's loaded with some easy money to fund the cause and I need you there with a semi to take the load." ordered Jason into the phone, as he contacted another League of Shadows spy.

"Understood _Aikh'Tier_." said the spy before he hung up. Jason wanted to groan at hearing his assassin name, but that was the name given to him at his resurrection and the entire League was expected to address him as such. Only his mother and Talia addressed him by his first birth name, or J'hari as his mother calls him sometimes when it was just the two of them. He sighed as he thought of his mother, hoping that Ras will be pleased with progress the mission was playing out. His mother had always protected him from Ras's rage, often bearing the brunt of punishments that was meant for him in order to spare Jason from pain. It hurt him though to see his mother so broken afterwards and he struggled for a while to do his best on missions so his mother wouldn't have to suffer. It figures that the one time he tried to be defiant and free himself and his mother from Ras's control is what forced him to lead this 'cleansing' of Gotham and her sister cities.

Ras needed a stronger foothold in the United States and Jason was sent to lead the mission. As the first two cities were 'cleansed', the League of Shadows began to set up their own headquarters in each city so Ras's influence could spread. Jason hates Bruce and everything that Bruce stands for, but he didn't want things to turn out the way it did. He didn't want to kill petty criminals for petty crimes, but with spies all over now in Gotham Jason was forced to act the part and continue the mission. If not, his mother will die with no hopes of resurrection and he will be alone again.

As he Jason went towards the kitchen, his laptop began to beep and he wanted to groan in frustration. Barbara was getting very close to hacking into his systems that he has placed all around the Gotham Network and it was getting annoying. Looking at the laptop, Jason saw in surprise that she had actually managed to get passed the first of the fifty firewalls that he had set up for his connections. Triggering a lashback virus, Jason walked back into the kitchen to grab a beer, before turning back to see that the virus had done its work and had infiltrated Barbara's system without her knowledge. Hacking into the cameras of her hideout, Jason watched as she typed away in her computer, unaware of the new set of eyes that was watching her. Jason smirked and decided to have a little fun while he was stuck being Ras's dog. It will be fun after all to have a little revenge on not only Batman but to Dick, Barbara, and his new replacement.

 _ **Hey readers, hope you liked the new chapter :) Spring break is upon me, woo hoo, which means more time to write! So like or dislike? Thank you for reading :)**_


	5. The Raid

_**The Raid**_

Shayera gasped in pain as she struggled to lift the burning the debris off of her. The new mission Ras had given her was to infiltrate a Darhk's headquarters. She had spent the last three months working tirelessly, spending more nights awake than asleep, her sleep patterns off, and her body screaming for relief. She managed to lift the burning debris off of her and she looked around to see that Darhk had made his escape out into the hallway. Her attempt at a subtle entrance was dashed when in her sleep depriven state, she had made a small noise in her placement above Darhk. When he realized he wasn't alone, Darhk immediately expelled fire snakes from his hands. Shayera only had time to quickly dodge the flames before the debris trapped her.

As Shayera quickly ran down the hall, using her wings, shield her from the rapidly growing flames, she found her way to be blocked by several golems. Darhk didn't have as many followers as Merlyn and Shiva did, so taking them out was easy. It seemed though that the real problem lay in Darhk's ability to use magic. Shayera was thankful that she had thought ahead and had brought her spear with her. The sharp blade of her spear was made of the leftovers from her old mace. She used the majority of the metal to construct Jason's kodachi. The swords should protect him from most energy blasts and anything of magical quality.

Shayera soon spotted Darhk and quickly lunged at him, grabbing his collar and flinging him against the burning wall. The elderly man was fit for someone his age so Shayera wasn't worried when she slammed the blunt end of her spear against his abdomen. Darhk snarled and unleashed another volley of magical energy at her. Shayera deftly sliced through the energy using the sharp end of her spear, the Nth Metal protecting her. Shayera shoved the sharp end on Darhk's neck, slicing his throat open. She coldly watched as he fell to the floor before backing away and allowing his body to burn. This made three out of the four rogue assassins finished. That left only the clone, Heretic. Shayera had an idea on where to start searching for him as she left Darhk's headquarters, having been keeping up with the current updates in the world.

So far, Heretic has been usurping Ras' control in certain areas of Asia that needed to be stopped immediately. Heretic was a clone of Ras that had gone rogue, no longer wishing to follow its master's orders. Heretic is a clone made from the DNA of Bruce Wayne, which came to a surprise to Shayera. It would be strange to face the clone, knowing that it carried the face of her former teammate. Shayera was confident though that she will be able to face the clone. Using the disruptor, Shayera's wings immediately dematerialized. They were still connected to her, but in a zero-space dimension. It was proof at how technologically advanced the League of Assassins were and how well hidden they kept it.

As she walked into the woods in order to make her way to the village, Shayera gently touched the mask in her face. It was black and dark purple to help her blend in the night, the visor an obsidian color and reaching all around her head. Her mask appeared almost identical to Jason's, without the added mods he had installed later on as he grew older. While her mask gave her scannings of the area and of her enemies, Jason's was more or less capable of giving him more information than her mask ever will. She suppose that it has to do with her teaching him the mechanics of the Absorbascon. She had lost hers during the Thanagarian Invasion but she had the capabilities of building a new one. She never did though, too ashamed of her actions to want to build another. Secretly teaching the engineering to Jason though was a good idea on her part. At least with an advantage over magic and knowledge, Jason will be safe in his mission from Ras.

She was afraid of what Ras can do to Jason. Talia had even tried to reason with her father, but with Ras so set in his mission to cleanse the world, it was impossible. Jason had tried to rebel, only for Ras to implant a bomb into Shayera's neck in order to get his cooperation. Mother and son were forced apart and Shayera was only capable of speaking with Jason whenever Talia is able to sneak a phone to her. Shayera honestly would have gladly sacrificed herself if it meant that Jason could be free but Ras had revealed to her that he also had a bomb implanted in him without his knowledge. With Jason's life at risk, Shayera couldn't do anything without angering Ras so she was stuck in her situation. Shayera made it to the village where a League Assassin was waiting for her in a town car, ready to transport her to the airport back to the safehouse before she can return to Nanda Parbat. She quickly got into the car, anxious to make her way to the safehouse where she can finally sleep.

As the driver took her away to the safehouse, Shayera removed her mask and took a deep breathe. There were several burned marks on her helmet that showed just how close the flames where to her. She was only happy that her wings were only slightly singed which meant only a few days in the medical ward. As the drive went on, Shayera wondered how Jason was doing.

 **Gotham**

Jason was casually strolling through the city, enjoying the slight peace that was in Gotham at the moment. The sun wasn't too hot and the breeze made the day feel very fresh so Jason was happy. He was happy up until the explosion rocked through the city. Jason swore under his breathe as he deftly moved through the crowd to see what was happening. After his encounter with the League as the Red Hood, Jason noticed an increase of patrols around the city made by not only Batman and Jason's replacement, but with Nightwing, Huntress, and the Black Canary. Jason knew that he had rattled Bruce with how much the Red Hood knows, he just never realized he was _this_ rattled.

As Jason approached the source, he stood among some pedestrians to blend in as he watched the Killer Croc and Bane escape from the bank. Jason almost snarled at the audacity the villains had at attacking in the daylight. He almost thought that Bane would have learned his lesson after the attack on Wayne Industries. Jason kept his eyes out, needing to see what Batman will do. He kept a close eye on the Batfamily after Oracle had attempted to hack into his system. His lashback virus allowed him to look into Oracle's systems without her knowledge along with piggybacking into Bruce's computers as well.

As Jason waited, Bane and Killer Croc made their way down the sewers and Jason almost cursed his self-restraint as he decided to let the Batfamily handle this. He needs things to calm down first before he mahis first strike against the Batfamily. Oracle lived in a Clocktower that he knew had high quality security systems around the area but he knew how to get around it thanks to his helmet. His original plan to confront Barbara had to be put on hold with this many heroes running around but Jason knew that if he can get Barbara to help him, then there might be a chance to save his mother. He absolutely refuses though to reveal his identity to her. Doing so would mean that Bruce will know, which would also mean that they will stop him from exacting revenge on the Joker. As soon as Jason finishes this damn mission for Ras and free his mother, he'll be able to exact his revenge on the Joker, just as Ras and Talia had said. He knows his mother doesn't approve of his desire, but she still supported in any way she can.

Jason quickly made his way over to his apartment, knowing that he'll need to get things ready for when he'll make his visit to Barbara. It irked Jason that not only does he have to lay low for the moment but that he has to resort to ask for help. So long as Ras and his spies believe that Jason is working on his own, then he will have a better chance at saving his mother from her fate. As he reached the doorstep, he knew he was being followed. Playing it casual, he went inside and went to his room. Entering he made sure that nothing suspicious was out and he sat down on his couch, waiting to see what the stalker will do. Jason could sense the person with the Thanagarian senses he had inherited from his mother and could hear the attempted quiet footsteps they were trying to make. Jason only laid his head back and waited for the assailant to make the first as he had expected the sudden change in wind allowed Jason to quickly somersault behind his attacker and tackle him from behind. Jason was almost amused though as his attacker attempted to reach for his nose.

"Get off Todd!" cried out Damian. Jason chuckled and got off Damian as the small boy immediately assaulted him. Jason allowed him to, letting the boy get his frustrations out. He was only thankful that his Thanagarian genes allowed him to withstand the blows Damian was unleashing on him. For a small kid, he packed quite a punch. When Damian calmed down, Jason sat back down and Damian followed suit.

"Why are you in such a filthy hole?" asked Damian, "Surely Grandfather has supplied to you enough money to buy yourself a better estate."

"Yeah, he did, but if I bought a better house then that means I have no money for food and for my weapons." said Jason as he got up towards the wall. Lifting up a painting to reveal a hidden button, Jason pressed on it as the walls revolved to show an array of guns and swords. Damian's eyes lit up and immediately began to inspect the weapons.

"Amazing," he praised, "you even brought your kodachi swords with you."

Damian had always envied the swords that Jason had. They were powerful blades and were resistant to magic on top of things. If only Aunt Shayera had more Nth metal on hand… which brought him to his current reason.

"Mother has found something that might interest you." said Damian as he carefully unmounted the kodachi swords from their place.  
"Oh yeah? What is it?" asked Jason as he went to the kitchen to grab a beer and a soda.

"She found a place that the League keeps Nth Metal." said Damian. Jason stopped in his step and glanced over at Damian for more information.

"They have the Metrotower, which is where they have several artifacts from the Thanagarian Invasion in lock and key. Mother sent me here to see if it could be possible to make off with them." said Damian. Jason thoughtfully began to make plans. If he can get his hands on more Nth Metal, then the possibilities of upgrading his armor will be infinite.

"Why does your ma want Nth Metal?" asked Jason, wondering about Talia's motives.

"Your mother came back from her mission two nights ago." said Damian. Jason stiffened and asked, "How is she?"

"She came out the winner like always," said Damian, "She's in the medical ward to treat for some burned feathers but that's it."

Jason relaxed at the information and said, "So I guess Darhk is finally gone?"

"Affirmative," said Damian, "Which leaves Grandfather's clone, Heretic."

"It's going to be one hell of a mission to go up against Batman's clone." said Jason.

"Which is why we should be grateful he is only a clone and not really the real thing. The reason mother wants Nth Metal is so we can avoid another Darhk and Merlyn fiasco. Their knowledge in sorcery is what allowed for them to avoid the League and to nearly destroy our foothold in the world." said Damian.

"With Nth Metal weapons, we can at least have a line of defense." said Jason, nodding in understanding, "What's my mother's opinion on this? Also, why did they send a six year old to give me this message?"

"She agrees that it would be better to have the Nth Metal be put to use rather than collect dust." said Damian, "I was sent here as my first test run in acting a solo mission... and Aunt Shayera had promised to forge me a new katana from the Nth Metal and I only want to pick the best from the raid."

Jason laughed. Of course Damian would want to be a part of a raid like this. Damian was very much like his father, Bruce Wayne, in that only the best would be acceptable. Jason was happy though that Damian had showed up. It would be nice to have his little brother around again.

"Alright," said Jason, getting up and going to his closet to change into a more tourist look. Looking back at Damian, Jason realized that the kid still had on his ninja gear and said, "We're going to need to get you clothes to blend in. We're taking a field trip to the Metrotower."

 **Metropolis: Metrotower**

Barbara Gordon was wheeling down the hallway of the Metrotower, having upgraded the system defenses for Bruce and was on her way to return to Gotham. She was having a good day so far and she intended to keep her good mood rolling. After quietly catching up with Green Arrow and Question, Barbara was rolling out towards the visitor's center. It was in the visitor's center that they had many assortments of displays of the League's accomplishments. It served as a museum and Barbara really enjoyed visiting the Metrotower whenever she could. It was a nice change from the gloom of Gotham.

As she wheeled passed the Artifact Exhibit, she was crashed into by a small boy. She and the boy fell to the ground, the force having knocked Barbara off of her wheelchair. The boy was muttering about blind spots in sunglasses as Barbara slowly sat up.  
"Damian!" cried out another voice. Barbara looked up to see a handsome red-head make his way towards them. He wore a blue polo shirt and khaki pants as he ran towards them and Barbara almost blushed a little as she realized he was even more handsome up close than afar. The man quickly scooped Barbara up in his arms much to her surprise and with his feet, righted her wheelchair upright and gently placed her on it.  
"Sorry for my little brother," apologized the man, "He was a little too excited."

"It's alright," brushed off Barbara, "A lot of kids are always excited in the museum."

"Still, I feel that it was a little exuberant." said the man. Looking at his little brother he jerked his head towards her and to her surprise, the boy did a small bow and said, "I apologize."

Just as soon as he apologized though, he ran off. The man only looked a little frustrated but not overly annoyed. Barbara smiled and asked, "Is it his first time?"

"Yeah, ma isn't really keen on letting him go off on his own, but he managed to talk her down." lied Jason. It was a ploy that they both created in order for Damian to scope out the building properly. Blueprints of the Metrotower were nonexistent, something Jason knew for sure was decided on Bruce's part. Without any blueprints, only a select few will know the true layout of the Metrotower. What Bruce hadn't counted on was a six year old with a fantastic photographic memory and a resurrected ex-Robin.

"It must be so exciting for him then. Where are you both from?" asked Barbara.

"Bludhaven," said Jason, using one of his many identities to help build a story, "Ma is currently abroad with a friend and I was left in charge of him. I decided a road trip will help him get over missing mom."

"That's so sweet," said Barbara, as she and the man followed Damian to another wing of the museum. It was in here that it was the more grim part of the museum. It was here that fallen heroes were memorialized. As Jason walked further into the room, he saw the holographic projection of his mother. He was saddened to see that it took her death for these idiots to see the real woman that had been buried beneath the mask.

It actually surprised him though that the Justice League would even think to memorialize his mother like this. He had always been under the impression that they despised her the way he had seen them act around her in news footage. He bets not even his mother knows about this.

"I wish I could have met her," he heard Barbara say behind him. Turning he saw her staring at the hologram as she continued, "I always admired her perseverance."

"Interesting," muttered Jason, not really paying attention. He misses his mother greatly and hopes that once Gotham is cleansed then Ras can let his mother be free from the bomb in her neck. Jason followed Damian, noting that Damian would make quick looks around the area and Jason did as well, needing to be more informed as well of the layout. So far, it seemed that the roof would be the easy entrance but that will only alert the League that there were invaders. Damian and Jason had already tried to investigate the back entrance, but they noticed the heavier security. Going underground was no option because it will only trigger the sensors that Jason knows Batman had probably set up.

It actually worked well into their favor acting as tourists as Barbara gave them a mini tour around the Museum, claiming to be one of the main computer analysts when Jason knew she worked in the League as Oracle. He allowed her though to give them a tour, letting them scope out the area quickly and inconspicuous. When the day was over, Jason was actually surprised when Barbara asked him if he was free for the weekend.

"Uh yeah, for sure." he smiled and Barbara gave him a smile that seemed to light up the room.

"And if you're disappointed in your night with him, I'm always available to show you how a real man treats a woman." came the voice of Damian. Barbara laughed and Jason only shoved Damian a little to show his annoyance. Damian only stuck his tongue out and the two waved Barbara goodbye as they left back to Gotham. "You seem very pleased for your date." noted Damian as the two drove into the freeway.

"It just makes my plans easier." said Jason.

"The current plans? Your mission's plans? Or your own plans?" questioned Damian. He knew that Jason was furious with Grandfather for implanting the bomb into Aunt Shayera. Even his own mother was against the idea.

"You'll see. If I play my cards right, she can be very vital for all three." said Jason.

 **Later that Night**

It was quick to gather all the people necessary for the raid. The Metrotower was located in an isolated island close to Metropolis where only a highway connected them to the mainland. Jason had several Assassins gather the spy tech needed to get to the island without detection and he even allowed Damian to participate, dubbing it his first ever mission as an Assassin in training. They were quiet as they approached the island and Jason had it in good hand to check and see who was on duty around the Metrotower. It was mostly non-powered heroes that were on duty with the exception of Vixen and Green Lantern. Jason could not wait to fight against the Lantern again. It brought some childish pleasure to hurt back the man who hurt his mother.

As they approached the Tower, Jason gave the silent command to trigger the EMP. As the lights powered down, Jason and his team quickly infiltrated the tower before the systems were back online. Knowing that it was a tight window, Jason and his team managed to at least clear the open area and make it into the side of the Tower. As the lights turned back on, Jason made sure that his Red Hood mask was in place and glanced towards Damian to see him in his full ninja attire. Not worries at the slightest about Damian, Jason gave the command to steal the security feed and to also disconnect the Zeta-Tubes by planting one of the explosives on the pad. As one group branched out to plant more explosives around the building, Jason and Damian led the other group to where the storage facility was.

Breaking into the front part of the Tower was easy. It was getting into the Restricted Section that was going to be difficult. As they snaked and weaved through the hallway, avoiding contact with security, they managed to reach the restricted section.

"Alpha 1? Are you ready?" asked Jason.

"Yes, _Aik'Tier_." replied the Leader of Alpha 1. Jason rolled his eyes at the Assassin name and said, "Alright, blow the explosives."

The building shook as explosions were set off at the opposite end of the building. Jason had the assassins dress as thugs and not in their normal attire so the League of Shadows can remain anonymous from Bruce's eyes. As security and staffers rushed outside or towards the explosions, Jason and his team waited until the restricted door opened, heroes rushing out to find the problem. Jason gave the command, and they descended on the Justice League members, catching them by surprise. The Justice League members were quickly incapacitated while they rushed inside towards the storage facility. Jason saw a green light rounding the corner and immediately ordered, "Go towards the storage facility, I'll hold off the Lantern. Damian, go with them and take your pick."

As they left, Jason casually leaned against the wall and smirked as the Lantern rounded around the corner and froze as he saw the Red Hood.

"You again?" snarled John. This guy was really something to take a big risk like this and he hasn't forgotten the kick the Red Hood had given to him the last time they had fought.  
"You seem angry, big guy. A little sore after losing the last fight?" asked Jason, stalling the Lantern so the team could quickly make off with the Nth Metal.

"We were unprepared last time, it won't happen again." promised John and he immediately flew towards the Red Hood.

"You shouldn't say things without meaning them. That's how people get hurt." said Jason, thinking of his mother. John flew at Jason, a constructed chain net aimed at him. Jason immediately threw several flash bombs, knowing that the Lantern needed to concentrate in order to hold the constructs. As John closed his eyes to avoid being blinded again, Jason took advantage and easily jumped over the Lantern to grab him in a bear hug and perform a seismic toss in midair.

John slammed to the ground but he quickly regained his senses and rolled to the side to avoid getting stomped on by the Red Hood. John formed a shield to quickly avoid the punches and kicks the Red Hood was unleashing on him. John was almost frustrated at how it was almost similar to fighting against Batman. Jason though was enjoying himself. It had been a while since he had a proper fight so it was almost enjoyable until he was suddenly tackled to the side. He tried to break free from the hold but the person only squeezed tighter, making him groan in frustration. Looking back, he saw that it was Vixen and she was probably calling upon either the snake or gorilla spirit to keep a strong hold on him.

"It's over." said John as he made the move to remove Jason's hood. A dart hit John on the side of the neck, causing to grunt in pain before collapsing.

"JOHN!" cried out Mari, before she was also hit by the same dart. Feeling sleepy, she heard someone call out, " _Aik'Tier_ " before finally fading out. Jason looked at his supporter to see Damian casually leaning on the wall with a blowdart on hand.

"Good work kid," praised Jason, "Let's get everything ready for transport."

It was quick stealing all the Nth Metal into a crate and lifting it off. It was mostly armor and weapons that had been left behind by the Thanagarian Invasion forces so Jason knew that they had plenty of spare equipments around. Damian was holding onto an Officer's Sword, intending to have Aunt Shayera craft and mold it into a katana. The team quickly loaded the Nth Metal into their ship, setting off another set of explosions to keep the confusion. They disappeared into the night, just as a Javelin entered the atmosphere.

 **Bruce**

Bruce landed the Javelin onto the front lawn and the League immediately leapt into action. Flash went in and out of the building, rescuing trapped staffers and his unconscious teammates out of the burning building. Superman quickly used his cold breath to tame the inferno and Diana and Bruce went in to help stop the flames. J'onn helped first responders tend to the injured and when everything was finally cooled down, the League examined the damages. Nothing too important was destroyed except for the Zeta-Tubes, which is what stalled their rescue in the first place. Much of the damages done to the building was superficial and easily fixed. It would be hours later when John and Mari were finally awakened that Bruce began to question them.

"What happened?" he asked.  
"The Red Hood made a surprise visit." said John. Bruce felt his fists quake in anger. This rogue seemed to be hitting Bruce in places that were close to home, and he needed to stop him once and for all.

"Someone called him Ayk-Thyre, or something like that. It could be his name." said Mari.  
"I'll look into it," said Bruce, "We managed to discover what they were after and what was stolen."

"What did they take? It looks like all the Museum artifacts are still in tact." said Mari.  
"They made off with the leftover Nth Metal." said Bruce, watching as John stiffened at the information, "The magnet that polarized Diana's wristbands? It was composed with small traces of Nth Metal."

"Does this guy need Nth Metal for his gear?" questioned John.  
"I believe so. Otherwise, why would he make a raid on the Metrotower?"

"I don't know? To rub it in our faces that he is capable of entering in without our knowledge?" asked John.  
"Maybe, but the Red Hood has been a very volatile and unpredictable foe. We need to be cautious around him at all times." warned Bruce.

 **Gotham: Jason's Home**

Jason was examining the armor he had chosen for himself. It was of good quality and hasn't rusted over the years of non usage so he was content with it and deemed it to be worthy in his upgrade. The rest of the Assassins had taken the Nth Metal back to base while Damian decided to stay for an extra few days before he had to return. Damian was currently lounging on his couch, admiring the sword that he had taken for himself. Jason knew that his mother will definitely spoil Damian by teaching him several moves from the Thanagarian Military and he moved to the table to check on his laptop.

As suspected, his feed showed that Barbara was working double time to fix all the damage he caused as the Red Hood. He slightly smirked as the feeling of revenge was satisfied regarding Barbara at least. Let her spend a few more hours awake than asleep is the most malicious he can be regarding his current crush. Allowing Damian to sleep on his bed, Jason laid down on the couch and closed his eyes. With his date with Barbara coming up and the mission at hand, Jason decided to sleep in for the next morning and call it a good day.

 _ **Hey readers, hope you like the chapter :) tell me what you liked or disliked and if there's anything you'd like to see or be brought up, don't hesitate to ask and I'll do my best to write it :) Have a good Friday :)**_


	6. Falling Apart

**Falling Apart**

The theft of the Nth metal wasn't something the Justice League was going to forget. The fact that they had been infiltrated and properly beaten made every hero train twice as hard and be on alert at a Batman level. Bruce honestly enjoyed how for once it wasn't him that was overly paranoid and that everybody is now taking things more seriously. Looping the video footage back and forth of the night that the Metrotower was attacked, studying the way Red Hood commanded his group of thugs and his fight between John and Mari. There was a tension in his body language that screamed hatred and Bruce wondered how and why the Red Hood hated John. The small accomplice particularly grabbed his attention. It seemed that Red Hood has his own form of a Robin.

"Any luck?" asked Clark as he walked behind Bruce in the Batcave. Superman and J'onn were getting worried when Bruce refused to answer calls from the others and Alfred had informed him that Bruce was spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to capture the Red Hood. Clark knew that Bruce is always put on edge when he is basically kept on his toes and having this unpredictable and renegade rogue has definitely made Bruce obsessive in finding out who the rogue is.

"What are you doing here?" asked Bruce, irritated that Clark decided to distract him.

"Bruce, it's not just you now that the Red Hood is hurting, he hit all of us where we are at our most vulnerable." said Clark.

"I'm not having this discussion with you."

"Yes you are. Bruce, it isn't just you. John right now has only ever left the Watchtower and Metrotower for missions and when he isn't on mission, he is at the gym and the simulators in an effort to get better. The mechanics and engineers at the Metrotower have been working nonstop because they feel like they failed. If you want to catch this guy, help us too!" yelled Clark. Bruce stopped typing into his computer and Clark wondered if he is going to start being 'brooding, loner, I-am-Batman' Bruce but instead he removed his cowl and turned to Clark.

Dark rings were forming under his eyes and his face was sullen. Clark never knew this Red Hood was affecting him this bad. Bruce turned back to the computer and replayed the videos so Clark could see as well.

"He's fiery that's for sure." remarked Clark.

"And I found out why." said Bruce as he pulled up a video file and played it. The video was a news feed that showed their fallen comrade, Shayera Hol, fighting back against a couple of bank robbers. As Clark watched her fight, he also watched Red Hood and made a startling discovery.

"You think Red Hood could be Shayera's kid? Shayera had a kid? What?" yelled Clark. Bruce nodded and said, "Those were my thoughts not a few hours ago. The only questions that remain if he is Shayera's son, then when was Shayera pregnant? How old is he? Who is the father? Where has he been?"

"Do you think that John might be the father?"

"No. Red Hood is too old to be considered John's son," said Bruce, thinking about Rex from the one apparent future, "He could be Thanagarian and be Shayera's relative."

"How likely is that?" asked Clark.

"Null. Shayera told me about her years in the orphanage before joining the military in one of our chess matches when she rejoined us."

"Then… do you think Shayera might have left something behind that can help us?"

"Maybe. Are her things still in the storage facility?"

"Yeah, John refuses to place them anywhere else."

"Good. Let's go."

 _Gotham_

Jason nervously adjusted his tie as he waited for Barbara outside her home. Having recently bought a van not only to transport his gear easily, he also considered Barbara's wheelchair for their date and hopefully further dates. He thought back to his mother and hoped that she is alright. Damien had informed him before leaving that Shayera's last target was Bruce's clone named Heretic. It will be dangerous but Jason knew his mother can handle it. She is Shayera Hol, Ex-Spy and Lieutenant of the Thanagarian Army, Hawkgirl and ex-member of the Justice League… she can do this.

His thoughts about calling Talia in an effort to know more about his mother's mission were put on hold as the door opened up and Barbara wheeled out wearing a slim and modest red dress. Jason could feel himself blush and tried to at least control himself around her while Barbara only smirked to see that she could render him speechless.

"You ready, Red?" asked Barbara. Jason only smirked at her nickname and said,"Sure thing m'lady."  
"That's so cheesy," snorted Barbara.

"Got you to laugh though." pointed out Jason, pleased to hear her laugh. Barbara blushed lightly at his words and followed him to his van where he helped her sit up front before packing her wheelchair in the back. Having called ahead worked to his advantage, telling Barbara that his name was Jake Austin and that he was going to wait for her outside her apartment around dusk.

"So where am I taking you?" asked Jason as he started the van.

"We are going to the best place anybody could get a burger." said Barbara. Jason knew immediately where she wanted to take him: The Meadery. It was a hole in a wall restaurant located between Wayne Industry and Lacey's Department Store. It went by unnoticed most of the time by Gotham's Elite, but to those that were observant were able to find it and eat the best burgers and shakes at a decent price. Jason and Barbara strolled on in and were delighted to find the place half full, meaning they didn't have to wait for a seat.

Sitting down in a two-seat table, Jason and Barbara ordered their drinks and food and proceeded to connect (or reconnect in Jason's case). Jason couldn't believe how light hearted he was feeling. It has been so long since he could fully relax, never getting to experience that even with his mother because of Ras. He knew that Shayera wanted to help him escape from Ras's grasp, but it was near impossible and now with her life on the line Jason needed to make things work in Gotham for Ras. Bruce and the Batfamily be damned. As he looked at Barbara though, his hostility fell a little.

"So what do you do most of the day?" asked Barbara.

"Odd jobs here and there. Trying to get more money to help my mom." said Jason.

"And your brother?" asked Barbara.

"Often with grandpa, sometimes mom and I are too busy so grandpa is always there to handle the little ticking bomb." joked Jason. Barbara laughed, the ease and fluidity she was feeling was something she hasn't felt in such a long time. Not after losing her legs to the Joker. She went into a deep depression and had become distant with the Batfamily until Dinah had crashed into her life and they started the Birds of Prey. It brought back life to her and she began to accept her new body and began to work twice as hard as Oracle. With Jake though, she felt as though she didn't have a double life and that she is just a regular normal woman.

"So Jake, how are you loving Gotham?" asked Barbara.

"Not bad, Bludhaven is actually better in my opinion. No crimes have been too extreme for the police now so it's easier to walk around at night." said Jason, watching as a slight shadow passed over her eyes. Obviously she was thinking about the Red Hood so he changed the subject out of curiosity and asked, "How is your job at the Metrotower by the way? I bet everything is great working next to heroes right?"

"Y-Yeah," said Barbara, a slight hesitation in her voice that she hoped Jake won't hear, "It's fantastic. You'd think of them as something that's another whole level but it turns out they're more alike to us than we ever care to see."

"Cool," said Jason a small satisfaction going through him as he thought about the troubles he gave to the League. The rest of the night was spent talking about each other, trying to find similarities and differences. Jason hadn't felt this good in such a long time that when it was time to bring her back home, he was very disappointed. Still though, when he escorted her back to her apartment the peck on the lips was definitely worth something. As Barbara closed the door, he gave a small whoop of joy not realizing that Barbara could still hear him, smiling as she got ready for bed.

The drive home was quiet and he made sure to drive out of Gotham in case Bruce decided to stalk the date in order to protect Barbara. There was a secret tunnel entrance he had the Shadow League members make for him near the Midway City National Park. It is pure luck that the park is so large that he and the Shadow League members are capable of performing secret work under the cover of the trees. Grabbing a secret remote from under his seat, Jason pressed the button that opened up the hidden driveway in one of the near off road trails.

The passage opened up and he drove on in, the doors closing behind him swiftly. He drove down a dark tunnel until he was met with the welcoming committee. His followers were at the ready to relieve him of the van and to help him get ready for his nightly habit.

"Any news from Ras?" asked Jason as he walked towards his station.

"None, Aik'Tier," replied one of the Shadows, "However we have news regarding your mother."

Jason stopped walked and turned immediately to the ninja and demanded, "AND?"

The ninja shrank back from the sudden hostility and quickly said, "Your mother's mission to eradicate the Heretic. She has located his location here in Gotham."

Jason was surprised at the news and asked, "Ras is just letting her be here?"

"It's between letting the Heretic escape again or finish him here for good."

"When is she here?" asked Jason.

"Right above you, J'hari." Jason turned around and glanced up at the catwalk to see his mother's beaming smile at him.

Shayera allowed the happiness to overwhelm her as Jason quickly ran up the steps to embrace his mother in a hug. Her wings wrapped around him as a second pair of arms and Jason felt like the kid he was when he and Shayera emerged from the Lazarus Pit eight years ago. Shayera spent days tracking Bruce's clone in Asia when she discovered that he quietly traveled to Gotham, no doubt in an effort to rid of Bruce so he could take over Wayne Industries and use the resources for his plans.

"How are you? Is Ras ok having you here?" asked Jason.

"He approved reluctantly but with Heretic quickly becoming more of a threat everyday, he couldn't say no," said Shayera, "I also brought you a gift."

"Really? What?" asked Jason excitedly before he was kicked from behind and turned to see Damien in his hooded gear with a shiny new katana at his side. Jason looked at Damien incredulously and said, "My gift is to babysit again?"

Damien scoffed and said, "Idiot."

Jason looked behind Damien to see a crate. Walking towards it he opened it up to see new gear. Excitedly, he took each one out one by one including a new Red Hood mask. As he inspected each item, he noted the Nth Metal quality each item had and is excited to note that he can now have an advantage over magical beings.

"Awesome," he praised as he turned to hug his mother, "This will definitely give me an edge tonight."

"I hope so," said Shayera worriedly, "I know you have your mission from Ras J'hari but please, be careful."

"I know ma. Damien? Want to go on a nightly patrol?" asked Jason as he began to suit up.

"I thought you'd never ask." smirked Damien as he waited for Jason, eager to get back out in the field. Shayera could only smile and worry on the inside. She is afraid for him not because he could die but because of the destruction he can inflict onto Bruce and the others. She had already read the reports and listened to Damien's retelling of Jason's fighting prowess. She honestly felt pride the first time hearing and reading about it but it turned to worry. Talia had warned Shayera about the madness that could come with the pit. Shayera has yet to experience any symptoms due to her alien physiology but Jason's human side is already allowing the violence to seep through. She only prays that Jason has a strong hold over himself.

 _Gotham_

Bruce had spent a good portion of the day with Clark overlooking Shayera's old medical records and history. The old files were kept hidden away in the databases and it took much longer than expected. They noticed a decrease of reports towards the end of her life that Bruce began to look over old security footage to see if perhaps this might give them a clue. After witnessing John confess to Shayera about the existence of Rex and then denying her that future, Bruce went livid.

"That idiot! Does he not understand the ramifications of trying to change the future? That even a single pebble could tip the scale?" ranted Bruce while Clark continued to sit in his chair, waiting until Bruce cools down, "Does he not realize that by speaking out he could very well be the reason why Shayera died in the first place?"

Clark's eyes widened in surprise, shocked that Bruce would even suggest it. Noticing his friend's stare Bruce explained, "The minute he told Shayera that he was going to stay with Mari, Shayera got depressed and began to isolate herself even more than when she first joined. She actually began to refuse missions, Clark! Her mission at the chemical factory could have gone different if she didn't have her depression."

"Are you going to tell John that?" asked Clark.  
"He already knows about the ramifications about revealing the future. He already blames himself." said Bruce. It was obvious in John's behavior that he still continues to blame himself despite the therapy.

Clark and Bruce left the databases after not finding anything relevant about Shayera's connection to the Red Hood, Bruce returned to Gotham. He was out on patrol with Tim, hopping roof to roof searching for any sign of crime.

"Hey Batman?" asked Tim.

"Yes Robin?" asked Bruce.

"You know how Red Hood likes to slash and dash?"

"What about it?"

"I think that blood trail might be something to look at." Sure enough, as Tim pointed towards an alley, Bruce could see the tell tale signs of blood leading into it. Looking around he noticed on the opposite buildings, the walls had blood splotches on them.

"Go back to the cave." ordered Bruce.  
"What? No, you need backup!"

"Then send Nightwing. I ordered you to go back to the cave." Tim only pouted a bit before leaving in the opposite direction back home. He already had his communicator opened to call in Dick for help. Ever since Red Hood cleared out Bludhaven, Dick found no need to stick around in a city where crime practically disappeared overnight. Instead, he stuck by the wharf and Lincoln District of Gotham. As Tim went back to the cave, he was unaware of the extra shadow following him. Bruce followed the bloodtrail until he was met with the Red Hood interrogating a thug.

"Just tell me where to find Joker, pansy," said the Red Hood, his electronic voice deeper and more menacing, "I promise it'll be a swift end."

"Your time's up." said Bruce coming up from behind. He watched as Red Hood slowly released the man and turned to him. The mask glimmered a bit in the light, something that was akin to Nth Metal. Bruce wondered what he did to the rest of the metal but watched as Red Hood approached him until they were almost face to face.

"You know? Once upon a time… you were my hero," confessed Red Hood much to Bruce's surprise, "I always wanted to be like you. So I fought the good fight for a while and then my mother died in front of me."

Bruce held his poker face but the news Red Hood was giving him was surprising. So he's a Gotham native then and one who had grown up idolizing the Batman before the unfortunate end of the mother. The question is who is he?

"Killing is not the answer. Killing won't bring your mother back." said Bruce.  
"Oh I know. I had to watch her get beaten to death in front of me while he laughed as I couldn't do anything. I left Gotham and gave myself a new life."

"Killing a killer leaves the same number of killers in this world." argued Bruce.  
"But it saves more lives," counterargued Red Hood, "I thought it was the most heroic thing you could have done but all you did is ensure that the cycle continues. I'm taking care of the mess you keep spilling."

"Bruce, keep him talking. Nightwing is on his way," said Barbara through the comm-link.

"You justify your killings by claiming to save more lives?"

"Look at the result: low crime and not a single superpowered villain exists in Bludhaven and Friedman City. All thanks to me." mocked Red Hood outstretching his arms as though daring Batman to take a swing.

"Your methods are violent and will have people stop trusting us and begin to fear us."

"Isn't that always been your motto? That fear is how this city works? Guess what Bruce? I used that fear and turned it into something productive. I used my fear to make a new name for myself." snarled Red Hood. Bruce looked at Red Hood, trying to find connections until it finally hit him. Years ago, a gang leader had fallen into a vat of chemical waste and turned into the Joker. The gang leader's name was Red Hood.

"The Joker killed your mother."

"Yeah… kept laughing. Of course, with you at least he ran and left you alone right? Didn't stay to taunt you, to belittle you before leaving."  
"What happened to your father?"

"He replaced me!" roared Red Hood, "HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO THINK IT WAS OK TO REPLACE ME!"

"Bruce, Nightwing incoming." said Barbara. Sure enough a shadow fell over Red Hood and Nightwing somersaulted off his head to land next to Bruce.

"Sorry, got a late party invite." joked Dick.

"Never invited you Dickface." said Red Hood. Dick kept his cool and said, "What? Jealous?"

"Never liked you as a Robin and I sure as hell never liked you as Dick Grayson." said Red Hood. Dick's eyes widened in surprise at his words and turned to Bruce to see that he was unaffected. Obviously he knew how much information Red Hood carried.

"Never liked you. Never liked being compared to you. Never liked that I was never good enough!" snarled Red Hood.

"Who are you?" asked Dick.

"ME!" cried out Red Hood as he removed his mask. Bruce watched as a young man with red hair and a white streak in his hair glared at him with red eyes. He couldn't quite figure out who the man is but a katana flew through the air and nearly impaled Red Hood's face.

"Aik'Tier! Not now!"

Bruce turned to see the boy ninja from the Metro Tower Heist high above them leaning over the roof. Red Hood shook his head and his red eyes faded to a blue. The face…

"Jason!" cried out Bruce. Shocked at seeing an older and resurrected Jason Todd froze him in his place. Dick's eyes also widened in shock but he wasn't frozen in place like Bruce was, so he was able to dodge the fist coming his way. Jason placed his mask back on and proceeded to fight Dick.

"Jason wait!"

"I've done my waiting. Eight years waiting for anyone to care." snarled Jason as he brought out his kodachis and tried to hack through Dick. Bruce was about to join the fight when a kick to the back of his head attracted his attention. The boy ninja had his katana on hand and was battle ready. Bruce turned away from him when the boy slashed through his cape. Irritated, Bruce intended to quickly overpower the kid before he had to help Dick fight an unstable Jason. He took a few quick jabs but the boy was swift and agile.

"You're slow." said the boy, "I'm disappointed. Mother always said you were a top notch predator."

He removed his hood and Bruce was immediately met with the face of a child Bruce Wayne.

"Hello father." said the boy. Bruce was again shocked and didn't react quick enough to avoid Jason's suckerpunch to the head. He staggered as Jason quickly stood in front of the kid.

"Jason," said Bruce quietly, "Jason talk to me."

"I'm done talking. You've been a big let down."

"Jay-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! YOU'VE ALWAYS LOOKED DOWN ON ME! YOU AND BATGIRL EVEN DARED TO SAY THAT I WAS NEVER GOING TO BE A ROBIN! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU ALL! I DIDN'T EVEN MATTER IN THE END!"

"Jason-"

"FUCK OFF!"

"I'd search for your new Robin by the way," said the boy, "It looked like he took quite a beating."

Nightwing immediately took off to find Tim while Bruce remained behind. He and Jason didn't break eye contact until he made the move to leave.

"You're not leaving."

"You're not the boss of me. Not anymore."

Jason and the kid left in the shadows and Bruce was hesitant to let them leave but he had Tim to worry about and left to help Dick search for him. They didn't have to go far as they found Tim with bruises and a black eye inside a dumpster. Quickly making their way home, Bruce was still shaken up at seeing his resurrected son and his newly discovered son all in one go. His once stable mind was threatening to fall apart like sand in water.

"Batman," said Barbara, "I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry Barbara-"

"No," wept Barbara as she kept an eye on her family through the surveillance cameras and having caught the whole exchange the same way, "I didn't see it sooner. I went out with him earlier tonight Bruce. I was with him for hours and I didn't even recognize him, Bruce I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Barbara. We didn't think it was possible but we now know that Jason is back with us."

"Bruce how?" asked Dick.

"Ras." was all Bruce had to say for the others to know.

They reached the cave before sunrise and managed to patch Tim up who told them about his ambush and subsequent pummeling by a quick foe. Bruce was silent, thinking about the boy. The outfit, the manners, the stance, the weapons… it all screamed Talia. Bruce thought back six years ago when he last saw Talia. It was a passionate night and one he swore would be the last time he'd ever perform with the demon's daughter. Bruce needed to know though how Ras got a hold of Jason and why Talia decided to keep the boy a secret from him. He needed to know now.

Jason took deep calming breaths while Damien watched him warily. His mother had warned him about the Lazarus Pit's effects but it was another thing entirely to see it happening in front of him. Jason was slowly getting more aggressive and volatile as they searched for the Joker, his instability growing more apparent as they searched for his killer. Jason wanted revenge and he needed it badly but Damien could see the other side of him fight against it causing an even already unstable mind to deteriorate. He quietly signaled to Shayera that Jason is currently unreliable and to send backup.

"Idiot rich boy thinks that by merciful will heal the world? I'll show him. I'll show him like I showed Bludhaven and Friedman City."

"Let's go search down by the docks. I'm sure we'll find some rumors." said Damien, successfully redirecting Jason's thought process.

"Let's go kid. My swords are itching and I'm sure yours are too."

"You know it."

 _ **Hey readers hopefully you liked and please leave reviews for feedback. I'm sorry I haven't been updating as much but with this being my last semester and having to prepare for finals, I'm honestly worn down. I worked very hard though to write this chapter and hopefully you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading :)**_


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